Stuart Robinson was the last interview of the day for the athletic director search committee at SUNY New Paltz.
 
Although the candidates who were interviewed that day had more administrative experience as either directors or associate directors of athletics, when Robinson completed his interview, there wasn't much of a question who the next face of Hawks Athletics would be.
 
"The other two finalists had the credentials, but Stuart knew New Paltz," said Richard Bodenschatz, retired associate dean of admissions and a member of the athletic director search committee that hired Robinson 19 years ago. "He had assisted then President Alice Chandler and had taught freshman composition here and at Dutchess Community College, and was our soccer coach. He knew the athletic and academic situation at New Paltz and he had prepared a multi-year plan for success that took into account that knowledge. It was a thoughtful, realistic year-by-year plan that built upon the success of each succeeding year. It wouldn't be a quick fix, like a few other candidates seemed to believe. It would take time and it would take effort to change the perception of athletics, both within the department and most importantly, the College. Stuart had a true vision of where New Paltz athletics could go and how 'we,' not 'I' could get us there."
 
After serving as the Hawks' men's soccer coach for nine seasons, working his way to assistant director, and then associate director of athletics, and a brief stint as interim director, Robinson was hired as the ninth Director of Athletics, Wellness & Recreation at SUNY New Paltz in 2001. 
 
Over the years, Robinson has gradually enhanced the success and profile of New Paltz's athletics program, while also overseeing an overhaul of its facilities. His tenure saw the construction of the Athletic & Wellness Center, a massive expansion of Elting Gym that includes the Hawk Center, two workout facilities and a ^1/9 –mile track, among other projects.
 
After nearly 20 years as Athletics Director, Robinson will begin anew on Aug. 1, leaving a place where he had spent most of his career to take over the athletics program at New York University. He leaves behind a legacy of growth and expansion at SUNY New Paltz that was unprecedented until his arrival.
 
"There was a history of success prior, but in all honestly the number of championships, the diverse amount of them and the consistency of those championships have really fallen under Stu's watch," said Hawks Associate Athletic Director and colleague Brian Williams. "I think he's always had the belief that New Paltz could be what it is becoming. That has been his mission and it started with getting the academic side of things in play first… Better students a lot of times translate to better athletes, and away we went. His vision with the facilities and a lot of those different things — our look, our logos — all of that really was a lot of work on Stu's part, and his vision."
 
Williams first began working at SUNY New Paltz in 1994 as the head men's and women's swimming coach, and quickly built a rapport with Robinson, which foreshadowed a partnership that would last 26 years.
 
"I felt a connection with [former Hawks men's basketball coach] Paul Clune and Stu almost right away," Williams said. "I couldn't really tell you when Stu started dragging me into his world, but we all kind of supported each other because that's what you had to do to do stuff. We worked each other's games. We were gym rats. We were here 12-16 hours a day, trying to build our programs and also just to get the other work around here done."
 
Williams shared a memory of walking into Robinson's office and helping him hand-write note cards to faculty to check in on student-athletes. Seeing the potential Williams had as a professional and administrator, Robinson brought Williams along to campus functions, introducing him to administrators across campus and pushing him to expand his skills and experience. When Robinson was promoted to interim director in 2000, he tapped Williams to be his assistant and promoted him to associate director following Robinson's permanent appointment.
 
"I didn't even know the word was 'mentoring,' but that's exactly what he did with me from day one," Williams said. "He just always got me involved, got me interested in things and pushed me very hard to do things that I was never really comfortable or think I was interested in doing. He is the ultimate mentor in my opinion and he always made time for me. I always had open access to him 24-7, and that's been from day one. Even if he was busy, if I had a question or if I needed something, he made time to make sure I was going in the right direction." 
 
Williams was just one of many young professionals Robinson mentored throughout his 28-year tenure. Robinson had a knack for seeing the potential in the people he hired, and helped guide numerous individuals in their early careers at the College. Many went onto become successful administrators in their own right, including The College at Brockport Director of Athletics Erick Hart, RIT Director of Development Liam Welsh and SUNY Oneonta Associate Director of Athletics Ryan Hooper to name a few.
 
"One thing that I am really proud of for Stu is that he really takes mentorship seriously. He has mentored some great people at New Paltz who have gone on to be incredible professionals in athletic administration and one of them is my associate athletic director Ryan Hooper," said SUNY Oneonta Director of Athletics Tracey Ranieri. "I went to New Paltz for a competition, I think it was for a volleyball competition, and I was so impressed with how the operation was run from a game management prospective that I had to figure out how he was doing this. I wanted to do what he is doing. Stu had mentored Ryan as the game management facilitator, and it was through that mentorship and the relationship with Stu that got Ryan prepared to be my associate, and certainly one day to become an athletic director himself."

Ranieri and Robinson worked as colleagues and competitors in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) for more than 25 years. Each served as coach of women's and men's soccer at their respective programs, while also working as assistant directors, and eventually, directors. While they met through coaching opposing sides, they built camaraderie over the years and chatted frequently on the phone, bouncing ideas off one another.
 
"We have some really talented athletic directors in our conference," Ranieri said. "People do not give our group enough credit. They are creative, they are resourceful, they are fiduciary and they have vision. I couldn't tell you how many times I have gotten calls from search firms that say, 'get into this pool.' I have no doubt that that has been happening to Stu for years."
 
When Rainieri first heard the news of Robinson's hiring at NYU, she was saddened to lose a longtime colleague within the conference, but happy for her friend for embarking on a great opportunity.
 
"My heart sank," she confessed. "Not only for my friend, who I saw a lot more because he was in the conference, but my heart sank for the conference and my heart sank for New Paltz. My heart was very lifted for him, because that is just a wonderful opportunity, but he must have had a very heavy heart to make that decision too, because he loves New Paltz."
 
As travel partners and Catskill Cup rivals, Ranieri and Robinson supported one another in their program's successes. They bonded over similar philosophies of building a positive experience for their students and shared a like-minded belief in defining program success both academically and athletically.
 
"I think that is the beauty about the friendship that we had. It was the fun rivalry of competition, but it was so much deeper than that, because it was about pride in our institutions. We wanted each other to succeed," Ranieri said. "I think in the business that we're in, to be able to have friends that understand the challenges you have every day and keep it confidential and bounce things off each other when they're hard, as well as when they're fun, those are people that are really hard to find in the business, because there isn't that many of them. Stu is definitely one of those that with integrity and friendship, I am really going to miss him." 
 
Another long-time friend within the SUNYAC is SUNY Geneseo Director of Athletics Mike Mooney, who like Robinson and Ranieri came from the coaching ranks before moving up to become the head of his program. Mooney and Robinson shared an immediate bond, coaching against each other for 14 seasons in men's soccer, and have worked alongside one another for nearly three decades.
 
Mooney was confident in Robinson when he was appointed as Director of Athletics, Wellness & Recreation and hasn't been surprised by the positive influence he's had since being hired.
 
"Knowing Stu and knowing how he reacts to things, he wasn't a yeller and screamer on the sidelines… Stu wasn't a constant chirper. He made sure he got his point across, but he wasn't going to chirp at stuff and I feel like that's how I coached," Mooney said. "So when he stepped into the role as a director, he already had that mentality in a sense. Let's think it out. Let's have a thought process. How are we going to get to the end? What's our objective? What is our goal we're trying to meet? And try to hear people, what they're saying and what they're not saying. So I think when he made that transition from coach to AD I thought for him it was an easier transition than some people."
 
When Mooney assumed the role of athletics director at his own institution, one of his first calls was to Robinson to pick his brain and talk about different aspects of the position.
 
"He cared about the people he was working with and he cared about the people from the other institutions. He was always pragmatic in looking at, how can we make the student-experience better? How can we try to promote the conference in its best way?" Mooney said. "It was very easy to have conversations with him, because we had a lot of similar beliefs in how we do things and how we treat people, so I probably think he was the AD that I had the closest relationship with, and when he was a coach he was probably the coach that I had the closest relationship with. In one sense I am disappointed he's leaving New Paltz, but at the same time I think it's a great opportunity for him to go to NYU and be able to do some good things there."
 
Robinson always stressed the importance of the student experience outside of the field or court. Under his stewardship, SUNY New Paltz developed organizations to help students with mental health, encourage leadership skills and establish an open dialogue about diversity and inclusion.
 
"Under Stuart's direction, the athletics department has enjoyed much success, not just in terms of expansion of teams and number of championships, but also the creation of support in programs for student-athletes such as Athletes Together, Hawks Leadership Academy and RISE, just to name a few," said Linda Eaton, associate vice president of Student Affairs. "Stuart has always had a 'big picture' view for the department, for his coaches and for the student athletes. His active involvement in the SUNYAC and the NCAA cannot go unmentioned, as he is seen as a leader among his peers. Lastly, Stuart has worked hard to engage former athletes who are now alumni of the College, giving them opportunities to continue to engage with current coaches and students."
 
Eaton and Robinson have worked together sine her appointment as dean of students in 1994. They marshaled several graduations together during that time and both served on search committees and as area directors. Throughout her time working alongside Robinson, Eaton saw the growth and improved reputation of the athletic department under his leadership.
 
"I think in time, due to the number of years that we had worked together, our friendship grew to be professional as well as personal as we supported each other through many life changing events," Eaton said. "It's hard to ignore the expansion of the athletic teams and the number of championships under Stuart's direction. In addition, the support and care that Stuart has for New Paltz athletes is beyond compare."
 
"Stuart really built the program to where it is today," Bodenschatz added. "It is very professional. The people who have worked under him have been highly sought after, so he's had a run of picking good people to develop, and this is a part of running a program. Like in admissions, we always tried to hire people that would mature, would grow and provide creativity and that type of thing, the ability to think outside the box and take risks. I think that's what Stuart was looking at in hiring people, and hiring coaches as well."
 
Upon Robinson's arrival, the Hawks owned 21 postseason championships, including just seven conference titles, most recently a 1989 championship won by the men's swimming team. In his 19-year tenure as the Director of Athletics, Wellness & Recreation, the Hawks claimed 23 more conference titles, including 20 SUNYAC championships.
 
Most recently, SUNY New Paltz enjoyed perhaps its more triumphant athletics year in history with the field hockey, women's tennis, women's volleyball, women's basketball and men's volleyball teams all capturing conference championships during the 2018-19 season. Men's volleyball concluded that outstanding season with a national title, their second in four seasons. The women's tennis and women's basketball teams followed up with back-to-back SUNYAC title runs in 2019-20.

More important than the hardware that has filled the trophy cases is the respect the department has built throughout the campus, the conference and the NCAA. Colleagues widely attribute that success to Robinson's belief in putting the student-experience first.
 
"I believe that Stuart's legacy is a well-structured athletic program that continues to follow the vision he had for it 19 years ago. Populated with knowledgeable, successful and caring coaching and support staff," Bodenschatz said. "He has made it a well-respected and integral part of the New Paltz family, which benefits the College in more ways than one and provides an exceptional athletic and educational experience for student-athletes, all students, faculty and staff alike."

"I've had the pleasure of working with Stuart during the past few years, and in that time he has been generous with his experience and knowledge," added Stephanie Blaisdell, vice president for student affairs. "He has worked tirelessly and with innovation, and has served as a wonderful community member within and beyond the College. He leaves a winning legacy in every sense of the word."
 
Having spent most of his career with Robinson, Williams witnessed first-hand how much the department has evolved under Robinson's stewardship, and is confident the department is poised for further success in the years to come.
 
"He really set this department up to do bigger and better things," Williams said. "The goal was always to be a place where student-athletes wanted to go for a greater education. But, as it pertains to us, in Wellness & Recreation I think that side of the house has really blossomed under his leadership too. It's pretty impressive."
 
While Robinson is moving on from a place he has called home for many years, Williams knows that New Paltz will always be a part of him.
 
"He loves New Paltz and he always will," Williams said. "You can't put the time and energy in some of the things he has faced in his career here and been here that long if he didn't love the place. Stu understands history. He understands the importance of history and I think he will always remember and use his time at New Paltz to do better work at NYU and anywhere else he may decide to go. New Paltz will always be with him. Always."

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